


one more step

by yunyeos



Category: Cignature (Band)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Dialogue, F/F, Minor Conflict, Vampires, alcohol drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:54:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27369853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yunyeos/pseuds/yunyeos
Summary: Haeun was making her way home from her late-night shift when something unusual in an alleyway caught her attention.
Relationships: Kim Haeun | Ye Ah/Moon Chaesol
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

Haeun was making her way home from her late-night shift when something unusual in an alleyway caught her attention. She heard a scuffle and stopped her steps in order to track the sound properly.   
  
She peered into the alley, squinting to make out what was there. At first, she thought it was some animal. But then she got closer.   
  
What she saw was a woman curled up on the floor. She was turned away from Haeun, and it was difficult to tell if she was alive or not. Haeun looked closer and could see that she was visibly shaking.   
  
As if the woman sensed Haeun’s gaze on her, she whipped her head towards Haeun’s direction and took a shallow breath.   
  
Slowly, the woman stood, relying on one of the brick walls beside her for support. Her rise was clumsy as the grip of her thin fingers occasionally slipped along the wall.   
  
Haeun only stood in place and watched her. She was petrified but concerned. Something inside her told her to run but another part of her wanted to help her.   
  
The woman didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind. She only stared at Haeun with a hazy and unfocused look in her eyes before her body swayed a little and she fell forward entirely.   
  
“Oh my god!” Haeun gasped and hurried to catch her.   
  
Making contact just in time, Haeun maneuvered the woman’s arm over her shoulders and gently placed a hand on her back. Her body was surprisingly light, but she resisted Haeun with the little strength she had left.   
  
“Stop...” her voice came out weakly as Haeun led her out of the alley. “Please don’t help me.”   
  
Haeun clicked her tongue. “What are you saying? You can’t even stand up.”   
  
“I’m dangerous,” she said.   
  
Haeun didn’t expect to be so close to the other but her breath hitched as she observed the woman’s face more closely. Her dark and almost lifeless eyes had a reddish tint to them and her pale face appeared white beneath the streetlamps.   
  
She certainly wasn’t human, but she was in critical condition. Haeun wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she left her, so she trudged out of the alley while supporting the vampire.   
  
“You’re not a danger to me right now. You’re weak. Please let me help you.”   
  
She didn’t respond at all, only ducked her head after a few moments and Haeun took that as a sign of acceptance or defeat. They continued walking.   
  
“What’s your name?” she asked. “I’m Haeun.”   
  
“Chaesol,” she answered.   
  
Haeun was grateful that it was so late that the neighborhood they were in was completely quiet. No cars or other pedestrians passed them which meant they wouldn’t cause concern from others. Haeun wouldn’t even know how to explain her actions to someone passing by, and she was glad that she didn’t have to.   
  
As they finally reached Haeun’s apartment, Haeun quietly worried how suspicious they’d look from the security cameras. She quickly prepared the potential excuse that she was just helping her very drunk friend and trudged forward.   
  
Getting up the stairs in Haeun’s apartment was a bit troublesome. Halfway up the staircase, Haeun felt Chaesol’s body go completely limp. Her knees knocked against the steps as she collapsed and Haeun quietly cursed and lifted her back up with much effort.   
  
Haeun fumbled with her key and nudged the door open with her foot. She laid Chaesol onto the couch. Her chest visibly rose and fell as she reclined and Haeun was relieved to see her breathing.   
  
Noticing that Chaesol was shivering in her sleep, Haeun took out a blanket from her room and draped it across her body.   
  
Haeun took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts. She assumed that Chaesol was super malnourished, so she needed to find someone who was still awake and had a supply of blood at hand. She sent a quick text to Kim Jeewon, her friend from university who was now a nurse at a nearby clinic.   
  
Chaesol was still asleep when Haeun spoke into the air, “I’m going to get food for you, okay? Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”   
  
Haeun shuddered once she shut the door.   
  
Jeewon was surprised to see Haeun, and she was even more surprised when Haeun explained her predicament in a hushed tone. She struggled to even find a solution, because vampires weren’t commonplace at all, but she asked Jeewon if she had a blood bag.   
  
Unfortunately, she couldn’t give Haeun a blood bag, or a bag at all, but Haeun was willing to take anything so she wouldn’t have to return to her apartment in complete shambles.   
  
She left the clinic with two heavy styrofoam cups.   
  
Haeun pressed her ear to her apartment’s door before opening it. Chaesol hadn’t gone anywhere. She had just awoken, sitting up. After her little nap, she looked much livelier.   
  
“Here,” Haeun said, giving her one of the cups. She put the other in her fridge, but not before labelling it with a drawing of a teardrop shape.   
  
As she returned to the living room, Chaesol was regarding the cup curiously, turning it around in her hand.   
  
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get a bag,” Haeun said. Chaesol was still silently observing the cup. She didn’t make any attempt to drink yet.   
  
“Do you have a straw?” Chaesol asked.   
  
“A straw? Yeah, I do.” Haeun was surprised by the question, but she went into her kitchen to find one. She returned to the living room and gave Chaesol the straw.   
  
“Thank you,” Chaesol said and drank. She must have been incredibly hungry, because she drank until the sound of air came from the straw.   
  
Color quickly rose to Chaesol’s face once she finished. She met eyes with Haeun and her expression became sorrowful. “I’m sorry.”   
  
“What? No, no,” Haeun collected the cup from her hands. “Why are you apologizing? You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”   
  
“It’s late, isn’t it? You must have had a long day,” Chaesol only said. “I probably didn’t make it any better.”   
  
Haeun couldn’t believe how considerate she was. Chaesol was suffering just moments before and now she was worrying if Haeun was alright.   
  
“I’m fine as long as you’re fine,” Haeun shook her head. She felt the haze of sleepiness blur her vision for a bit and yawned.   
  
“You need rest,” Chaesol said.   
  
Haeun almost laughed. She was exhausted, but she had no idea how she was going to sleep after this eventful night.   
  
Chaesol rose from her seat and gave her a kind smile.   
  
“I should go now. Thank you for your help, Haeun.”   
  
By the time she left, Haeun realized that she didn’t even know if Chaesol had a home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was raining when Haeun met Chaesol again. Haeun didn’t have an umbrella so she was practically running home until she tripped on the wet sidewalk, but she didn’t fall entirely.

A few weeks passed until their next encounter. It was raining when Haeun met Chaesol again. Haeun didn’t have an umbrella so she was practically running home until she tripped on the wet sidewalk.  
  
She didn’t fall entirely, however. Her face was saved from meeting the concrete as someone tugged her body backwards.  
  
Haeun was about to freak out until her head tipped back. She found herself looking up at a familiar face.  
  
She couldn’t believe it. “Chaesol?”  
  
Chaesol only smiled. Her long hair stuck to her face from the rain which made her look a little silly but Haeun was still in disbelief that they actually met each other again. Chaesol was incredibly healthier and stronger than before, able to support Haeun’s body with ease.  
  
“Hello, again,” Chaesol greeted.  
  
“Are you alright? How have you been?” Haeun asked as she stood.  
  
After Chaesol had left that night, Haeun couldn’t help but worry about her. Where did she go, back to that alley? What if she grew hungry again? There was nothing out there; what would she survive on? What if someone else found her?  
  
Even after all these weeks, Haeun had kept the second cup in the back of her refrigerator, just in case.  
  
“I’m fine. The rain has never hurt me before,” Chaesol assured her. “But you could get sick.”  
  
“Me? I’m alright, really,” Haeun shook her head, but Chaesol didn’t seem to believe her. Maybe Haeun was being a little forward with her next question, but it didn’t seem to faze the other. “Do you want to come over?”  
  
“I’d love to,” Chaesol nodded. They hurried to Haeun’s apartment in the rain. Chaesol was impressively fast.  
  
Once they got inside, Haeun offered Chaesol a towel before drying herself off.  
  
“Have you eaten?” Haeun asked.  
  
“Since your help, I haven’t,” Chaesol confessed.  
  
“What?” Haeun’s eyes widened. “Really? How come?”  
  
“I can withstand hunger for a very long time after I’ve fed. When you found me, it had almost been a year,” she explained. Haeun was shocked, but before she could express it, Chaesol continued. “Feeding makes me uncomfortable, actually, so I prefer to do it sparingly.”  
  
“Feeding? But you need to do it to survive,” Haeun said, confused.  
  
“I don’t mind blood, but biting is what bothers me,” Chaesol clarified, “I don’t enjoy seeing the pain I’ve caused because of my bite, and I don’t want to get accustomed to biting. When you gave me a cup instead of a bag, I was relieved.”  
  
“I still have the other one in the fridge,” Haeun said, going to her kitchen.  
  
She could practically see Chaesol’s polite smile as she responded, “Oh, it’s alright!”  
  
Haeun took out a glass and an unopened bottle of wine. It was an old gift but as she checked the date she saw that it was still fit for consumption.  
  
“I hope you won’t mind if I drink a little,” she said.  
  
“I won’t mind. Did you have a long day?”  
  
“Kind of. It was ordinary, but it felt like forever...” She thought about taking out a second glass. “Do you want some?”  
  
Chaesol shook her head. “No, but thank you for the offer. I couldn’t drink before I turned and I still can’t.”  
  
“Sorry. That must suck,” Haeun frowned.  
  
“It’s not too awful,” Chaesol laughed. “Water is very delicious, too.”  
  
“Hmm, that’s true,” Haeun had to agree. She had a burning question and decided to ask it. “Just wondering, but do you live anywhere?”  
  
“I do, but my home is kind of far away. I might not ever return to it,” Chaesol explained.  
  
“What? Really?” Haeun sat onto the couch with her wine, curling her body against one of the arms. “How come? Sorry, you don’t have to explain if you don’t want to.”  
  
“It’s natural to be curious,” Chaesol brushed it aside. “But, if you want to know... I have a lover.”  
  
“Oh,” Haeun said, perhaps too dryly.  
  
“What is it?” Chaesol prompted. Haeun felt a blush creep up her neck and took a long drink, partially hiding her face behind the glass.  
  
“I was just surprised! For some reason I thought you were single!”  
  
“Is it because I fail to take care of myself, so it’s unlikely that I can be with someone else?” Chaesol asked casually. When Haeun was at a loss for words and sputtering out her denials, Chaesol only chuckled. “I meant that lightheartedly, but going back on my first word, I suppose I should have said ‘had’. I had a lover. But things didn't work out.”  
  
“What... what happened?” Haeun asked, trying not to sound too excited.  
  
“We got along well at first, when we met. She was human but didn’t know what I was. When I gathered the courage to tell her, she got scared and angry.”  
  
Haeun furrowed her eyebrows as she thought about the story. “She got angry at you for telling her?”  
  
“She was very upset that I kept it a secret from her. But it’s reactions like that which makes me keep it,” Chaesol added as an aside. “Eventually, I left with a friend.”  
  
Haeun hesitated on how much more she wanted to know. “And are you still in touch with that friend?”  
  
“No, we ended up not getting along very well either. Eventually, we grew distant, and I left there, too.”  
  
“Oh. Do you...” Haeun snickered a little at her word choice. “Do you have a lover now?”  
  
“No, I don’t.”  
  
Haeun frowned. Chaesol deserved a lover. Haeun wanted to cheer Chaesol up somewhat, so she buttered up her voice and said, “Well, I could be your lover.”  
  
“You’re delirious,” Chaesol chuckled. Haeun didn’t feel hurt by the halfhearted rejection and she was grateful Chaesol didn’t take her seriously, but her stomach twisted when Chaesol spoke again. “I do not need love anymore. I will admit that I craved it once but now I’ve realized that it is a luxury.”  
  
“What? Love isn’t a luxury. Everyone needs love. If not love, then care. Everyone deserves to be cared for. Even vampires.”  
  
“And I disagree,” Chaesol said.  
  
“Chaesol, you have been hurt in the past. But that is the past. Maybe because of that past you believe that you don’t... deserve people. But you need people! You need interaction, just like everyone else. It’s not healthy to constantly be alone,” Haeun ranted. Chaesol seized up but Haeun didn’t notice.  
  
Chaesol made a show of looking around Haeun’s empty home. Haeun only regarded her with amusement.  
  
“Then what state are you living in right now?” Chaesol countered.  
  
Maybe Chaesol was trying to make her feel embarrassed, but Haeun was shameless.  
  
Haeun sighed, “Just because I live by myself doesn’t mean I’m alone all the time. I go out. I hang out with people!”  
  
“And do you think I can do that?” Chaesol asked. “I am an outsider. What do you not understand about that? To have interaction means to have trust, and I no longer have that for anyone. So for you to insinuate that I can do that, and that I need it is... just inaccurate.”  
  
“You don’t trust me?” Haeun asked quietly. Her vision blurred at the edges, but she made sure to look at Chaesol with such conviction that she grew uncomfortable from Haeun’s gaze and looked away.  
  
A moment passed before Chaesol carefully chose her words. “I think for strangers, we have disclosed too much information with each other.”  
  
“Oh. So I’m a stranger now.”  
  
“I am also a stranger. I always have been,” Chaesol said. She stood abruptly with a sigh. Haeun remained seated and watched her. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Okay,” Haeun brought her glass to her lips again.  
  
“I should go now.”  
  
“Then go.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haeun then lived her life as a regular citizen with monotony and normalcy.

Haeun didn’t know what to do after that. She watched Chaesol leave her home and took another drink. Then when she was finished drinking, she thought about pouring herself another one, but went to sleep instead.  
  
Then she lived her life as a regular citizen with monotony and normalcy.  
  
There was no point in hoping that they’d meet again. Haeun realized she had misstepped badly and felt regretful that she didn’t apologize in return. But it was too late; Chaesol had already left, and it was unlikely they’d see each other again.  
  
It was October 31st, and Haeun was stuck behind the cash register. The sales in candy had gone up quite a bit in the past weeks, and now that it was the big day, everyone had bought all the candy they needed.  
  
The shop was empty. Haeun was told by her manager to especially keep an eye out for hands which would wander at the shelves for too long, but Haeun always let them slide by. She wasn’t going to go through the hassle of reporting customers just because they wanted candy.  
  
Jeewon had invited her to a party that would happen later that evening once she was off from work. That was the one thing Haeun looked forward to, so with the hope that all would go well at the party, she accepted her fate behind the register until her shift was over.  
  
When Haeun got home, she wasn’t sure what to wear. It was a party, so she should at least dress somewhat nicely. She didn’t prepare any costume and was terrible at special effects makeup, so she put on her usual face and headed out.  
  
She took the bus and arrived at the address which Jeewon sent her. The home was, in fact, a mansion of sorts, which didn’t surprise her. It was ornately decorated with tulle cobwebs and plastic skeletons.  
  
When Haeun knocked on the door, Jiwon greeted her. Jiwon could be described as one of Jeewon’s many friends, but if Haeun remembered correctly, they were a bit closer than that. Jiwon wore a cat ear headband and on her cheeks were whiskers drawn with eyeliner.  
  
“Hello, Jiwon!” Haeun stifled a laugh.  
  
“Well, hello to you, too!” Jiwon dragged her inside.  
  
After greeting the handful of people she knew, she found herself bored at the party. She considered heading home, but that wouldn’t be fun.  
  
As weeks passed, somehow Haeun became careless and drank more often. She could get drunk at the party, but she wasn’t in the mood to, and honestly she had already experienced one too many hangovers.  
  
So she filled her complimentary cup with water and stuck to the wall, becoming an observer of the party.  
  
“Haeun? You’re still here?” Jeewon asked. She seemed frantic and out of breath, her eyes a little wide.  
  
“What’s wrong? Should I go?”  
  
Jeewon got closer to Haeun and lowered her voice. “Well... I saw someone outside with what I thought was a really convincing costume, but when I got closer I saw that there was real blood all over her!”  
  
Haeun frowned. She felt her gut twist strangely. “What? How do you know that?”  
  
“The smell, Haeun,” Jeewon frowned. “I just realized, don’t you have a blood-drinking friend?”  
  
“We aren’t friends anymore,” Haeun shut her down. “But it might be her. Where did you find them?”  
  
“In the yard. If she is your friend, you should get her. She seemed really afraid of me!”  
  
Haeun wanted to correct her again but there was no point in trying. She went to the backyard and it was conveniently empty except for Chaesol who did in fact have blood all over her, starting from her lips, down to her chin, and all over her clothes.  
  
Instead of being terrifying, however, Chaesol just looked pitiful. Her frame was smaller, and she was almost curled inwards even while standing.  
  
Haeun was concerned but she still had unresolved feelings.  
  
“Chaesol,” Haeun hissed from the back door.  
  
Chaesol’s head snapped up. She was stunned to see Haeun, but then felt her anger and shrunk even more. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how I got here.”  
  
“No.” Haeun stepped forward. Her movements were small as she was aware of Chaesol’s state. “If you were going to leave, don’t.”  
  
“You’ve caught me,” Chaesol laughed weakly. “Right when I’m at my worst.”  
  
“Listen, Chaesol, I’m sorry. That wasn’t right of me to push you like that. And I still want you to come over.”  
  
Chaesol opened her mouth to probably refuse her, but Haeun said, “I don’t care if you’re the most bloodthirsty being in the world right now but I’ve been lonely without you.”  
  
“Oh,” Chaesol whispered.  
  
“So, yeah. I’m so sorry. Of course, you don’t have to forgive me. But I’d really like you to.”  
  
All this time, Haeun had been gradually approaching Chaesol who was unmoving. Upclose, the scent of blood was thick and pungent as it began to dry in the air. With all her might, Haeun tolerated the smell to maintain her sincere face.  
  
“I forgive you. I’m also sorry. Of course I trusted you but I said I didn’t because I guess I didn’t want to believe myself. But I don’t regret anything I’ve told you,” Chaesol said.  
  
“Okay. Now,” Haeun took her jacket off. She gave it to Chaesol. “Please wear this so I won’t have to explain to my landlord why I brought a bloody person over.”  
  
Chaesol laughed. It was a beautiful sound. “Alright.”  
  
The commute was quiet, and so was getting into Haeun’s apartment. Chaesol washed her face in Haeun’s bathroom and hesitantly, with much coercion, accepted Haeun’s change of clothes.  
  
When she was finally clean, she sat next to Haeun on the couch.  
  
“Are you still hungry?”  
  
“I’m not going to feed on you,” Chaesol said firmly.  
  
“I know you won’t. But I still have that cup.”  
  
“That would be nice,” Chaesol said and Haeun quickly got up to prepare the cup in the kitchen. Chaesol leaned back on Haeun’s couch until she returned.  
  
Haeun gave her the cup with the straw and Chaesol sat up. She drank until she was satisfied, but not emptying the cup.  
  
“Where did you go? Did you feed on anything?” Haeun thought she should know now that this is the second time she’s supplying Chaesol with food.  
  
“I got lost in the woods. It was a nice escape until I got hungry,” Chaesol admitted. “Of course, I fed. When you found me, that was the first time since I left. It was a small squirrel. Then I came across that home...”  
  
“I can’t believe you,” Haeun said. She felt a little petty for being upset.  
  
“What?”  
  
“I have everything to supply at least two people here and you ran around in a forest?”  
  
“You were angry at me,” Chaesol pointed out. “And I won’t leech off of you.”  
  
“Well, I’m not angry at you anymore. And maybe I want a leech. A little bloodsucking one,” Haeun added.  
  
Chaesol chuckled. “I am not little.”  
  
“Of course you aren’t!” Haeun sighed. “That’s not the point. The point is that I want you to stay here.”  
  
“You are pretty chivalrous, Haeun,” Chaesol said.  
  
“I am not a knight. I just like you,” Haeun said with sincerity. She was practically begging for Chaesol to stay but she didn’t know what else would convince her.  
  
“Okay,” Chaesol agreed. Haeun cheered and she smiled at her reaction.  
  
“Wouldn’t it be complicated if someone like me became your roommate?” Chaesol asked but Haeun was barely listening.  
  
“I’ll figure it out tomorrow.” Haeun laid her head down on Chaesol’s lap. “Now you can’t go anywhere. You’re trapped.”  
  
“That I am,” Chaesol nodded. She brushed some hairs away from Haeun’s eyes with her finger.  
  
Haeun closed her eyes and her breathing slowed as Chaesol played with her hair some more.  
  
“Long day?”  
  
Haeun sighed slowly. “Yeah, you could say that.”


End file.
